Roll Call: Butler votes against abortion rights bill

Illinois state Rep. Tim Butler (R-87) on May 28 voted against a measure that will bring sweeping changes to the state’s abortion laws.

If signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Reproductive Health Act will make abortions a fundamental right, repealing the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975, including eliminating waiting periods, the requirement for spousal consent, certain restrictions on where abortions can be performed and criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. The measure also states that a “fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights.”